User blog:VViooola/Cell Phone Addiction as a True Addiction---Scarlet An
'Should the excessive use of cell phone be considered a true addiction?' With the advent of smartphone technology in the 21st century that has become an indispensable part of modern society, people have started to be heavily dependent on their cell phones. Their dependency on cell phones is currently reaching its peak due to the accelerating speed of development, being raised as a serious social issue and regarded as a new type of addiction by a significant number of professionals. Newly-coined words like smombies, pedestrians who walk slowly to focus on their cell phones unaware of their surroundings and pose a threat to their safety, even emerged, reflecting the reality of people’s abnormal reliance on their phones. There is an ongoing debate on whether this new compulsive behaviour should be officially viewed as a type of addiction. Although cell phone addiction has not been formally recognized as either a “true” addiction or a psychological disorder by the American Psychological Association (APA), being a controversial issue among experts in the field, it should be accepted and treated as a formal psychological disorder due to its highly addictive qualities and complicated rehabilitation process. The expert definition of addiction strongly supports cell phone addiction’s entry into the category of psychological disorders. It perfectly matches the formal definition of addiction defined by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). According to the ASAM, an addiction is “characterized by inability to consistently abstain, impairment in behavioural control, craving, diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviours and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response” (“Definition of Addiction”). Cell phones’ addictiveness makes people unable to “consistently abstain” themselves from the use as already proven by a numerous amount of researches. A research conducted by the Bank of America in 2015 figured out that about 71% of Americans sleep with or next to their cell phones, and nearly 54% of young adults check their phones constantly (“Trends in Consumer Mobility Report”). These figures imply that many cell phone users tend to develop an excessive dependence on the electronics, being unable to stay away from them. In addition, its symptoms correspond with the symptoms of a formal addiction. Since it is not yet listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5), gambling addiction which is included in the DSM-5 is often applied to diagnose its symptoms. Its signs and symptoms involve “excessive use characterized by loss of sense of time”, “putting a relationship or job at risk due to excessive cell phone use” and “anger, tension, depression, irritability and restlessness” when one cannot reach his or her cell phone (“Signs and Symptoms of Cell Phone Addiction”). These exactly fall into line with a “true” addiction that is represented by “diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviours and interpersonal relationships” along with a “dysfunctional emotional response” respectively. Besides, the ASAM points out that “addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death”, if it is not properly treated. This also proves cell phone addiction to be a true addiction as it can be accompanied by “disability or premature death.” The excessive use of cell phone can result in blurred vision, cervical disc and even premature death. Smombies who are highly addicted to their cell phones frequently expose themselves to the potential risk of injuries and deaths by being too absorbed in their devices to avoid cars. It is reported by the Tokyo Fire Department that 122 people in Tokyo were rushed to emergency room after car accidents caused by their use of cell phones while walking between 2009 and 2013 (Landau, “Pedestrians on cellphones causing more accidents, injuries in Japan”). These statistics and cases provide evidences that cell phone addiction should get official recognition as an addiction based on its mental and physical symptoms, signs and characteristics that coincide with that of a true addiction. Along with the matching definition, cell phone’s extreme addictiveness that is particularly stood out by Social Networking Services (SNSs) should also be taken into deep consideration to make it a real addiction officially acknowledged by the APA. Several features including SNSs, games and entertainment apps provided by cell phones are highly addictive. Among a variety of services, however, SNSs are the ones that hold the most victims. SNSs were originally created for social purposes, mostly being used to maintain established offline networks with individuals (Griffiths 1). Unfortunately, however, the original pure intention has been degenerated by their addictive nature that makes users feel compelled to take care of their online social networks, and excessively use them. Facebook, for example, people tend to highly rely on it since they can access to the convenient service with only minimal effort, and satisfy their naturally boastful nature. It often plays a role as people’s “mood booster” as Facebook likes allow them to enjoy the pleasure of receiving attention from their online friends. As a study conducted by the Department of Psychology of the Harvard University in 2012 found out, disclosing one’s personal information through social media can bring the person the same pleasure he or she gets from food, money and even sexual intercourse (Matsalla, “Social Media Addiction”). People are attracted by this pleasure, and become obsessed with uploading their posts for more likes. To make things worse, the immoderate use of social media is easily overlooked by people, thus, making it hard to spot. They are likely to justify their act as a positive effort to forming relationships and making new friends instead of perceiving it as a problematic phenomenon. Based off of this justification, they continuously increase tolerance to Facebook to fulfill their desires for human connections, social needs and even voyeuristic natures. Unlike other types of addictions such as drug and alcohol addictions that can be treated in a relatively short time period, as long as the patient just quits the use, cell phone addicts cannot completely quit the use due to their necessities, the necessities of SNSs in particular, in modern society, being inevitably tempted to heavily depend on their phones. Regarding the devices’ highly addictive features and their inseparability with society that continually compels the addicts to be engrossed by them, cell phone addiction should be accepted as a formal psychological disorder with defined signs and symptoms in order to be treated properly just like other addictions. Not fully developed rehabilitation process is another reason why cell phone addiction should be recognized as a mental disorder. Since it is a new type of addiction that was introduced to the public only about a decade ago, nothing is much known about it and its treatment, except that the addicts need professional psychiatrists’ help as well to defeat it just like drug or alcohol addicts. Most of its therapies are undefined, meaning that they might have a high possibility of developing side effects. Also, many Western Countries have been suffered from scarce addiction treatment centers whereas some Asian countries such as China and South Korea have hundreds of related treatment facilities, though not every single one of them is efficient (Parks 69). The lack of information and appropriate treatment facilities in most of the countries sometimes even result in extremely abusive therapies, creating the “boot camp horrors” like the case of the Qihang boot camp. Located in rural China, it was officially named as the Qihang Salvation Training Camp that aimed to treat online addiction which is closely related to cell phone addiction through harsh methods and military trainings. Being unaware of the camp’s vicious reputation, Dong Fei, a father who had a 15-year-old son named Deng Senshan that was addicted to online gaming decided to send him there in 2009 after watching a friendly television commercial for the place. The camp was totally different from the image of an ideal rehabilitation center that his father expected it to be. There were no caring counselors and laughing, but violent counselors and screaming. Deng Senshan was confined in a “confinement room” and his phone was immediately confiscated, putting him into a sudden stressful state of cold turkey. He was forced to stay in the room, facing the wall. As he refused to do so, the counselors began beating him up and ordered him to run laps around the basketball courts. Soon, tired Deng Senshan fell down and was hit by the counselors with hard plastic chair as a punishment, losing his life only after 14 hours he had arrived there (Parks 70). This case might sound too extreme, yet it fully reflects the issue and the reality of abusive treatment centers. If cell phone addiction becomes defined as a formal disorder and listed in the DSM-5, more governmental and intergovernmental measures would be taken to successfully cure addicts without the aforementioned inhumane methods and relevant research programmes would be funded as well In conclusion, because of cell phone addiction’s signs and symptoms that fit into the category of a “true” addiction and its high addictiveness associated with SNSs, it should be considered a formal psychological disorder. This would also improve the current undeveloped rehabilitation process by encouraging governments to expand the budget on related research programmes and increase treatment facilities. Doubtlessly, they would do much more for a “formally recognized mental disorder” than just a compulsive behavior. Works Cited: “Definition of Addiction.” American Society of Addiction Medicine, 19 Apr 2011. Web. 13 Jun 2017. Griffiths, Mark D. “Social Networking Addiction: Emerging Themes and Issues.” Addiction Research & Therapy, vol. 4, no. 5, 2013. 12 Jun. 2017. Landau, Joel. “Pedestrians on cellphones causing more accidents, injuries in Japan.” NY Daily News, 13 Nov 2014. Web. 14 Jun 2017. Matsalla, Brent. “Social Media Addiction.” Liberty Voice. 12 Dec 2013. Web. 13 Jun 2017. Parks, Peggy. Online Addiction. San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2013. Print. “Signs and Symptoms of Cell Phone Addiction.” Psychguides.com. 2017. Web. 14 Jun 2017. “Trends in Consumer Mobility Report.” Bank of America, 2014. Web. 11 Jun 2017. Category:Blog posts Category:Researches